Side-door-car construction



O. T. AND W. B. GREGG.

SIDE DOOR CAR CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2.1916.

0 w m E "a AM 7 m a P 0. T. AND W. B. GREGG.

SIDE DOOR CAR CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2. 1916.

1, 348, 1 70, Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- ment having side dump.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIDE-DOOR-CAR CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed August 2,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, OTIS TIFFANY GREGG and VILLIAM BURR GREGG,citizens-of the United States, residing at Hackensack, in the county ofBergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Side-Door-Car Construction; and wedo declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which formapart of thisv specification.

Our invention relates to side door cars more particularly of the type ofcars for transporting cane'but applicable for'other uses. The object ofthe invention is to-provide a construction. characterized by simplicityand strength'in its various parts and by which the cost of production ismaterially decreased. To the accomplishment of V the foregoing and suchother objects as may hereinafter appear the invention consists in thefeatures hereinafter particularly described and then sought to beclearly defined by the claims, references being had to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part hereof, and in which- Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a portion of a car formed according to the. presentinvention, and showing the side unfastened and swung partially open; I

Fig. 2 is a perspective of'a portion of the car on a larger scale,andshowing the side fastened in its closed position;

Fig. 3 is a section on theline 3 -3 of Fig.

1 showin the manner of hinging the upper ends of the bars constitutingthe side door; Fig. 4: is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 showingthe manner of securing the lower ends of the bars constituting the sidedoor to the bottom rail of the door.

In Fig. 1 is illustrated a type of car which has a central partitiondividing the car into two compartments, each compartdoor s, but. theinvention is the same whether applied to'that or other type ofconstruction. I Y

In the drawings thenumeral 1 designates the floor frame of the car ofany approved type, and 2 designates the sides of the car Specificationof Letters Patent.

. tom frame.

of hinging the stakes a GREGG; 0F HACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY, IMITED, orHACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY, A

I Patented. Augi3, 1920. 1916. Serial No. 112,740.

and 3 the ends and 4 the central partition of the'car body frame arepreferably of commercial Z shaped metal bolted or riveted at suitablepoints to theupper ends of upright posts or members 6 which preferablyare of commercial L shaped metal, although they may be other formation,the lower ends of the uprights being suitably bolted or riveted to themetal side sills 1 of the car bot- T he side doors are each formedof adesired number of upright bars 7 preferably formed of commercial Lshaped metal, the upper ends of which are pivotally connected or swungby bolts ,8 passed through metal brackets 9 attached by rivets 10 to theunder faceof the horizontal member or'web of the Z shaped top belt-rail5 as shown in Figs. 1

and 8, while the lower ends of the bars are secured by bolts 11 orotherwise to'L shaped brackets 12 secured preferably'by rivets 13 to thebottom rail 14 of the door which is preferably formed of channel iron asshown. The top belt-rail 5 is disposed or positioned so that while thetwo flanges thereof will-be vertical, for the purposes of the presentinvention, the outer flange is made to extend downwardly and the innerflange upwardly. This is done so that with the stakes, forming part ofthe door, swung. from the belt-rail as hereinafter specified the maximumstrength of the Z belt-rail will be availed-of to resist the strainswhich occur,

and the downward and outward pressures which are developed will be sodistributed that the downward pressure will'be approximately along thevertical centerline of the Z belt-bar and the outward pressureapproxibar and thusavoiding the strain of twisting or torsion exerted onthe belt-bar as the result of the downward and outward pressuresdeveloped under other constructions.

Under the improved construction the upper portions of the stakesconstituting a portion of the door bear against the'inner edges of thehinging brackets at a point quite close I mately along-the horizontalline of the same ficiently below the lowest part of the downwardlyextending outer flange of the beltbar to permit the doors to open to thenecessary extent before the stakes strike the lower edge of the outerdownwardly extending flange of the belt-bar. These features ofconstruction cause the downward pressure to be substantially through thecenter-line of the belt-bar as indicated by the line ct-a of Fig. 3, andthe outward pressure to be substantially along the horizontal line ofthe bar as indicated by the line bb, thus avoiding the twisting ortorsional action on the. bar as previously mentioned; and thepositioning of the Z belt-bar with its outer flange extending downwardlyand its inner flange upwardly making possible the utilizing of themaximum strength of the bar to resist the strains imposed'where theconstruction comprises generally a Z belt-rail from which is swung a hnged side-door and the belt-rail disposed with its flanges ex-- tendingoppositely to what is provided for in this improved construction. Withthe parts arranged as herein described the upper ends of the stakebars'are cut away or formed on an incline as indicated at 0 so that thestakes may swing without interference with the rivets 10 by which thehinging brackets 9 are supported from the belt-bar. In the mannerdescribed a specially strong and comparatively inexpensive constructionof door is provided and onewhich is easily 'manipulated in opening andclosin The door is locked or fastened in its closed position by a linklever 15 preferably formed of looped parallel arms passed through an eye16 of a bracket 17 bolted to the sill of the car and having its upperends welded together so as to provide a lever simple and strong andcapable of securely holding the door closed against pressure exertedfrom within the car or otherwise.

Any'suitable lock or holder for effecting locking engagement between thelock lever and door may be employed but the preferred construction onaccount of strength and security consists of an open faced metal pocketI 18 provided with a swinging latch 19 adapted to be tilted on itspintle 20 so that its free end may engage or interlock with'the nose orcatchr21 of the holder and securely hold the lever in thepocket when thedoor is in its closed position. This metal pocket or holder is bolted orotherwise secured to a base-plate 22 preferably formed offchannel ironand which is secured by bolts 23 or otherwise to two of the upright barsconstituting a part of the door as shown. When the door is to be openedthe latch 19 is lifted from out of engagement with the nose 21 of thepocket and swung on its pivot pin or pintle 20'so as to'open the face ofthe pocket and permit the lever to be lowered or dropped and then thedoor is free to swing obtained with a saving of'cost in construcoutwardas indicated in Fig. l and by dotted line in Fig. 3 so that .the caneorother contents of the car may be. discharged or dumped. 7 a I J:

It will be observed that the'locking lever 15 is connected to the sidesill of the car by an eye-bolt so that the lever is free to swinglaterally as well as vertically and thus danger of accidental bending ofthe lever is avoided; 'also'that by attaching the locking lever at oneend by a substantially universal joint to the car side sillso that itmay pass over the lower rail ofthe door and have its upper end fastenedto the door'above the bottom rail and about substantially centrallycontributes to greater ease in releasing the locking lever when the caris loaded. It also dispenses with the necessity of employing a numberoflock fastenings for the door and thus the secure locking and release isexpe 'dited and otherwise facilitated and it is made possible toconstruct the several parts heavier than otherwise so that simplicityand increased strength and durabilityxare tion. h V I y We haveillustrated 'a'nd described with particularity the preferred details ofthe several parts but changes may be ma do without departing from theessential features of the invention. y

We claim 1. In cars, a side-door therefor comprising vertically disposedstake-bars connected together by a bottom rail,; 'and a Z-sh'a'p'edsupporting belt-rail disposed with itsouter: flange extending downwardlyand its inner flange upwardly, the upper ends 'of'the the belt-rail.

stake-barshaving a hinged connection with Y 2. In cars, aside-doortherefor' comprising vertically disposed stakebars connected :togetherby a bottom rail, a Z-shaped supporting belt-rail disposed with itsouter flange extending downwardly and its inner flange upwardly, brackethangers forthe door stake-bars supported from the beltrail, and meanspivotally connecting the upper ends of, the stake-bars with thebracket-hangers at-a point relatively to the lower end of the dependingouter 'flange of the belt-"rail to permit the stake-bars to 1 swinoutwardly beneath said flange.

f3; Tn'cars, a side-door therefor compris ing vertically disposedstake-bars connected together by a bottom rail, a -Z-shaped supporting.belt-rail disposed with its outer flange upwardly, bracket han'gers forthe door [stake-bars supported from the belt-rail,

.flange extending downwardly and its inner together by a bottom-rail, aZ-shaped sup-- porting belt-rail disposed with its outer flangedepending downwardly and its inner flange upwardly, bracket-hangers forthe door stake-bars supported from the beltrail, and means pivotallyconnecting the up per ends of the stake-bars with the brackethangers toswing outward beneath the depending flange of the belt-rail, thestakebars having upper ends receding or inclined in the direction of thedepending flange of the belt-rail for free swing of the stake-bars.

5. In cars, a side door therefor hinged at its upper end to swingoutwardly, and locking means for, holding the door closed consisting ofa single releasable locking member located approximately midway betweenopposite ends of the door and having one end attached to a part of thecar below the door and the other end to the door at a substantialdistance above the bottom of the door to adapt the locking member to bethrown outwardly by outward pressure of the door from within the carwhen the upper end of said member is released.

6. In cars, a side door therefor comprising vertical stake-bars hingedat the top to swing outwardly and having a lower connecting rail, andmeans forlocking the door consisting of a swinging member locatedapproximately midway between opposite ends of the door with one endattached to a part of the car below the door and extending across thebottom rail of the door and parallel w1th the stake-bars, to adapt theswinging member to be thrown outwardly by outward pressure of the doorfrom within the car when the upper end of the swinging member isreleased and means for releasably attaching the free end of the memberto the door above its bottom rail.

7. In cars, a side-door therefor comprising vertical 7 stake-bars hingedat the top to swing outwardly and having a lower connecting rail, andmeans for locking the door consisting of a swinging member having aneye-hinge universal connection with a part of the car below the door andadapted to extend across the bottom rail of the door and parallel withthe stake-bars, to adapt the swinging member to be thrown outwardly byoutward pressure of the door from within the car when the upper end ofthe swinging member is released, and means for releasably attaching thefree end of the memher to the door.

8. In cars, a side-door therefor comprising upright bars, and means forholding the door closed, said means comprising a latch pocket-memberattached to adjacent upright bars and located between said bars, and aswinging member connected with the car-floor frame and located to enterthe latch pocket-member.

9. In cars, a side-door therefor comprising upright bars, and means forholding the door closed, said means comprising a latch pocket-memberattached to adjacent upright bars and located between said bars, and aswinging member looped through an eye secured to the car-floor frame andconsisting of parallel members positioned relatively close to each otherand whose free end is adapted to enter the latch pocket-member.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of witnesses.

OTIS TIFFANY GREGG. WILLIAM BURR GREGG. Witnesses:

H. WEBER, W. A. THOMPSON, LEVY GAGE.

